Chicagohenge comes around twice a year: just after the spring equinox and right before the fall equinox. That means this weekend is our last opportunity of 2023 to catch the phenomenon. When the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west on the equinoxes, it creates a dazzling effect in some Chicago streets.

The name “Chicagohenge” is a play on Stonehenge, the ancient stone monument in England that also interacts with the sun in some amazing ways. It’s the kind of interplay between nature and infrastructure we love to geek out about on The Rundown.

In this episode, we space out with Michelle Nichols, the Director of Public Observing at the Adler Planetarium. Michelle explains Chicagohenge and makes the case that we should all look up as often as we can.